The present invention relates to a color plasma display panel (color PDP) used as a flat panel display, the area of which can be increased easily, in a display output device for a personal computer or workstation, a wall-hung television, or the like and, more particularly, to the structure of a color PDP in which the brightness is improved and the power consumption is reduced, and a method of manufacturing the same.
A surface discharge type PDP is known well as a conventional PDP. In a surface discharge type PDP, a gas fills a hermetic space between one glass substrate (to be referred to as the second substrate hereinafter) with an electrode pair group covered with a dielectric layer and forming a large number of pairs, and the other glass substrate (to be referred to as the first substrate hereinafter) opposing it. When a voltage is applied to the electrode pairs of the second substrate, electric discharge occurs. Ultraviolet light from this discharge irradiates phosphors, thus displaying visible light emission.
FIGS. 9A to 9C and FIGS. 10A and 10B show the first prior art. According to the first prior art, data electrodes 212 and a dielectric layer 213 are formed on a flat first substrate 211. Then, striped partitions 230 and thereafter a phosphor layer 215 are formed on the resultant structure. Reference numeral 200 denotes a discharge cell; 251, a second substrate; 252, a pair of sustain discharge electrodes; 253, a dielectric layer; and 254, a protective film.
According to the second prior art, a PDP with partitions disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-149771 is available. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, partitions 330 are formed in parallel crosses on a first substrate 311, and a phosphor layer 315 is formed on the resultant structure. Other than this, a PDP is available in which the discharge cell has a hexagonal shape, and partitions are formed around the discharge cell. Reference numeral 300 denotes a discharge cell; 312, a data electrode; 313, a dielectric layer; 351, a second substrate; 352, a pair of sustain discharge electrodes; 353, a dielectric layer; and 354, a protective film.
According to the third prior art, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, projections 440 are formed on a first substrate 411 in a direction perpendicular to partitions 430 parallel to data electrodes 412, and a phosphor layer 415 is formed to cover the projections 440. Reference numeral 400 denotes a discharge cell; 413, a dielectric layer; 451, a second substrate; 452, a pair of sustain discharge electrodes; 453, a dielectric layer; and 454, a protective film.
According to the fourth prior art, a PDP with partitions as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 11-213896 and 2000-123747 is available. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, partitions 520 are formed on a first substrate 511 perpendicularly to continuous linear partitions 530, to be lower than the linear partitions 530. Reference numeral 500 denotes a discharge cell; 512, a data electrode; 513, a dielectric layer; 551, a second substrate; 552, a pair of sustain discharge electrodes; and 554, a protective film.
The following phenomena are seen in the conventional PDPs described above.
As in the first and third prior arts, striped partitions are used, and no barriers are formed in a direction perpendicular to them. Alternatively, if the barriers are low, vacuum evacuation of a discharge cell portion in a PDP fabricating process is performed easily, while divergence of the light along the partitions of light-emitting region causes display unclearness. In order to prevent this, if light-shielding portions are formed at the two ends of the discharge cell in a direction perpendicular to the striped partitions, the light emission brightness decreases undesirably.
If hexagonal partitions or partitions arranged in parallel crosses as in the second prior art are used, vacuum evacuation becomes difficult, and a vacuum evacuation process takes time. In order to avoid this, if the second and first substrates are arranged at a predetermined gap, electric discharge adversely affects adjacent discharge cells so a non-display cell may be unpreferably turned on or the brightness and efficiency decrease.
A structure in which the projections 440 are formed on the phosphor surface may be available, as in the third prior art. In this case, however, the light emission brightness and efficiency are improved only a little. With the structure of the fourth prior art, vacuum evacuation is not improved sufficiently.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a color PDP in which a light emission brightness and efficiency of a color plasma display are improved to realize a good display quality and a decrease in power consumption, and a method of manufacturing the same with which such a color PDP can easily be manufactured.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a plasma display panel comprising a first substrate, a plurality of selection electrodes which are formed parallel to each other on the first substrate and to which a selection voltage is to be applied, a first dielectric layer covering a surface of the first substrate to include the selection electrodes, a plurality of first partitions formed at a predetermined interval on the first substrate to be parallel to the selection electrodes, a second substrate arranged to oppose the first substrate, a closed space between the first and second substrates being filled with a gas, a plurality of pairs of discharge electrodes which are formed on the second substrate to intersect the selection electrodes and between which a discharge voltage is to be applied, intersections of the pairs of discharge electrodes and the selection electrodes forming matrix-like discharge cells, a plurality of second partitions which are formed at a predetermined interval on the first substrate in a direction intersecting the first partitions and have heights smaller than those of the first partitions, and notched openings formed in the first partitions at intersections of the first and second partitions.